Daily Yellowstone journal., 1887-03-06
CLEVER MUSICAL PLAelARlsTs.
lev Popular Songs Are Produced-in-
stAnces OF Direct Appropriation.

stances OF Direct Appropriation.
81 never could understand how all the
music in the world is made out of seven
nttle notes.
II is curious, but It's true.
The most sublime oratorio. the most
captivating opera, the most ravishing
waltz, is composed of the seven little
notes repeated and used in combinations.
10 the average person it is astonishing
how much originality there is in the
countless compositions of musical char
scter. However, plagiarism in music is
- roundly censured as plagiarism in lit
Gature. Does il ever strike YOU when
you hear something pretty that it resent
hes a piece, although you can't tell
what it is, that you have heard before.
The assertion can be boldly made that at
last half Of the popular ballads of the
past ten years have been ''steals" from
other creations, which have either gone
out of print or are so skillfully con-
structed as TO deceive the ear unaccus-
toned TO listening 10 much music.
The best American ballad writers-and
this is pre-eminently the country for hal
lads-are the cleverest plagiarists. Mr..
O. II. Hopper, of this city, who has
written some taking songs, among which
is"When the Moons Behind the Clouds, -"
knows how the thing is done and he re-
osntly gave the results Of his experience
and investigations. Everybody went wild
over "All on Account of Eliza, In
"Billee Taylor" but they did not suspect
that il was taken almost note for note
from Mendelssohn s oratorio of ''St. Paul"
the chorus, "How Lovely Are the Mes
sengers." Joe Emmet's "Love of the
Shamrock" is nothing more nor less than
an old church hymn, Gates Ajar. "
Claribel's "You and I" has been worked
over into Twinkle, Little Star" Some
body's Coming When the Dewdrops
Fall is very similar in tune and compo-
sition to Chopin's funeral march
The young lady who sings when the
Robins Nest Again" and 'Wait Till the
Clouds Roll By" can find nearly the same
notes in "Maid of Athens" and Blue
Bells of Scotland" The chorus of the
so-called patriotic creation, Americas
Emblem, is cribbed entirely from San
keys Pull for the Shore" That favor
ite of Scanlan "Pe, S-a- Boo, is the coun-
terpart of an expired copyright German
song by krohn, called The Cavalier s
Whisper" The only difference in the two
bthat the old song is given in slower time
by quartering few eighth notes. In his
extravaganza, "Adonis, which has had
such a run in New York. the two sue
cessful songs, "lts English. You Know, "
end 1.-The Susceptible Stauette, are
txanspositions Of the "Flying Trapeze, "
once very popular comic musical crea.
ton, and the gem of "The Beggar Stu
dent, ""O lie, Mamma" Comparativel,
few of the American song writers displa,
any originality, but direct their energie
toward producing something that vii
cell.
Several men have made fortunes from
the receipts Of songs. The proceeds oi
'VGrandfather' Clock" were SIS, 900
"Put Ne in Ny Little Bed" "Silvel
Threads Among the Gold" and "Sweet
By-and-By" coined money for the pub
ishers. Only now and then a song !,
written which lasts more than two years
The once famous ''Shoo-Fly" went uI
like a-rocket-one season il was all th'
rage. and the next il was not heard o
anywhere. At the present time '-Cal
Ne Back Again" and white Wings
sem TO have an unending grip upon th'
affections a the masses. The former
composition is almost identical with aI
Irish ballad, Noah Dash Maereen.
Frank Howard, the minstrel has mad
o fortune out of the three songs, III
Await My Love" 'Only Pansy Bios
som" and when the R,,dns Nes
Again" 1t is claimed that Howar
did not write any Of them, but purchases
the manuscript from a New Yorke
named Spencer Poor Jim Stewart. o
this city, who died in the workhouse
gave TO the world two ballads whicl
made him famous. ''Only 10 See He
Face Again" is sung in every home. ant
The Cricket ON the Hearth" is one o
the most pleasing waltz songs imagina
bic. Stewards career promised brillian
results. but drink caused his ruin. TIN
instances of appropriation Of other mus
cal genius might he multiplied indefi
nitely.-Cincinnat Enquirer.